The Directorate General for Gambling Regulation (DGOJ) wants to spend more time researching various gambling disorders and problems, and the next step towards that goal is conducting detailed research about the matter and finding ways to help players across Spain.

New research

The body calls all interested companies to conduct their own research on disorders related to gambling. The call was published on April 5, 2024, in the Official State Gazette. The research will last during the whole 2024 financial year, and generous subsidies will be granted to the ones that fulfill the criteria.

On top of that, the prevention of gambling disorders will take more time than it used to. One of the topics of studies will be to research the best practices to prevent problem gambling, as well as potential risks and the consequences the gamblers can experience after facing the issue.

Interested companies will be able to apply until May 6, 2024, and the application will be possible through the portal of the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling.

The sum of money that will be granted to the ones chosen to conduct the research is 950,620 euros, and they will be obligated to focus on various disorders related to gambling, as well as their prevention and possible risk factors that can be noticed in some players or groups.

The interested parties will be competing for the funds, and the execution period for all research is set until June 30, 2025.

Spanish gambling regulations

At the moment, several types of betting are regulated in Spain: casino gaming, with games such as slots, table games, roulette, and blackjack; poker; bingo; betting, including sports and horse racing betting, as well as fantasy betting. Social games and skill games aren’t regulated in Spain. The country allows both land-based and online gaming and betting.

When it comes to social responsibility requirements, all licensed operators are obliged to take measures to prevent and treat problem gambling. The requirements include paying attention to potential risk groups, providing the players with all information required in order for them to make a conscious decision, as well as promoting moderate, non-compulsive, and responsible attitudes towards all gambling activities. On top of that, the operators are required to inform the players about prohibitions and forbid minors and persons included in the registry (Register of People Linked to Gambling Operators) from placing their bets. Also, the operators must set daily, weekly, and monthly limits for placing deposits and withdrawals.

Source:

LA DGOJ ANUNCIA LAS SUBVENCIONES PARA ESTUDIOS SOBRE TRASTORNOS CON EL JUEGO, gamingintelligence.com, 4/8/2024.

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Aggressive advertising strategies employed by online and mobile app gambling services have raised significant concerns regarding youth exposure and gambling harm. London Mayor Sadiq Khan faces mounting pressure to fulfill his pledge to ban gambling companies from using the Transport for London (TfL) network to post harmful marketing materials. 

Khan’s Election Pledge Remains Unfulfilled

A ban on gambling advertisements would align with previous actions to restrict marketing products and services deemed to cause social harm within London’s transport network. Advertisements for unhealthy foods and those promoting unrealistic body images have already faced bans. However, the term “harmful” gambling remains undefined, prompting concerns that London authorities may further delay any action.

During his April 2021 election campaign, Sadiq Khan promised to take action against such advertisements, highlighting gambling’s negative societal impact. He acknowledged that gambling harm spread beyond the individual level and could destroy lives and families. However, London authorities have remained passive, and ads for high-profile gambling companies remain a common sight within the city’s transit network.

I’ll instruct TfL to bring forward plans to extend the ban to harmful gambling advertisements on the network.

Sadiq Khan

At a committee meeting of the London Assembly, experts and politicians emphasized the urgency for Khan to deliver on his promise and expand the scope of the crackdown. Gambling support charities and public health specialists have long called for a much stricter stance on gambling advertising, noting that TfL represented a significant concern.

Bans Must Happen on the Local Level

While recent data from the Gambling Commission indicates a decline in youth gambling, London authorities have expressed frustration in regulating the market due to unclear definitions. Dr. Tom Coffey, Khan’s senior adviser on health policy, highlighted the challenge of defining “harmful” gambling and the need for a precise government-led definition to avoid legal challenges.

The UK government’s April gambling white paper led to consultations with industry stakeholders and leading charities discussing ways to refine the legislation. These initiatives achieved substantial progress but conspicuously steered clear of discussions around advertising limitations, focusing instead on curbing incentives like free bets and direct marketing.

The ongoing conversation highlights the complex challenges in regulating gambling advertisements and their potential impact on vulnerable individuals within the London community. A lack of provisions in the upcoming white paper means that any bans within TfL will depend on Mayor Khan and his willingness to address the concerns of his constituents.

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The group, Casino Employees Against Smoking Effects (CEASE) has become the latest to voice its concerns about smoking on gaming floors and the impact this has on casino staff’s health. Therefore, CEASE insists that the state issues an end to the mandate that allows casinos to be excluded from a public smoke ban.

The organizaiton sees this as an unjust loophole that needs to be taken care of and has urged lawmakers to act. CEASE founder Joe Hafley said that all workers ask for is a clean and safe working environment for the thousands of workers employed in the industry and who are the very backbone of the activity.

Hafley himself is a casino security officer and he speaks from experience and in part in solidarity with fellow casino workers. Even though he himself doesn’t have to be at the actual tables where most of the smoking is done, he worries about secondhand smoke and says that avoiding getting tinted with the smell of cigarettes is impossible.

CEASE has also been successful in winning some legislative support to its end, with lawmakers beginning to show interest. At the same time, there has been mounting evidence that there is little to suggest that denying people the right to smoke directly at tables would actually contribute to the financial slowdown of a casino.

End Smoking Is Not the End of Economic Prosperity

In fact, the opposite remains to be true or in many cases – the casino bottom line remains unchanged as a direct impact of smoking. A report by C3 Gaming report claimed that non-smoking properties outstrip their smoking counterparts economically. Even now there are people who avoid casinos because they don’t like the smoke, for example. CEASE co-founder Peter Naccarelli was also outspoken about the issue:

Casino workers all over the country are sick and tired of risking our health over the false perception that casinos will make more money by allowing the outdated practice of indoor smoking.

CEASE co-founder Peter Naccarelli

Naccarelli is adamant that workers shouldn’t endure what is a scientifically-proven risk cause of cancer. He argued that casino workers who work in environments where smoking isn’t banned were putting their lives on the line. There have been many comprehensive studies from across the nation with casino workers who work near smokers reporting an increased number of respiratory problems.

Some have even developed cancer, and although no one directly accuses the casinos, one cannot help but wonder, as some of the victims have put it. Previously, it was the Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights who weighed in on the matter.

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